JAKARTA (foresthints.news) - Aceh governor Irwandi Yusuf has been asked to immediately terminate the ongoing operations of PT Kallista Alam. These operations involve peat violations, in the form of the construction of kilometers of new canals and the development of new palm oil plantations, in burned peatlands in its concession situated in the Leuser Ecosystem’s Tripa peat swamps.

This news report includes a number of additional photos, providing further evidence which was used by Minister Nurbaya as the basis for her appeal to the Aceh governor to put an immediate end to the peat violations being carried out by the controversial palm oil company.

The Tripa peat swamps are of huge significance as they are inhabited by the critically-endangered Sumatran orangutan. Not satisfied with exploiting burned peatlands for palm oil expansion, PT Kallista Alam is also splitting up the area’s remaining peat forests by building new canals, as seen in the following photos:

Easy to find

Aceh governor Irwandi Yusuf will not find it difficult to discover the locations where these peat violations are being perpetrated by PT Kallista Alam, given that Minister Nurbaya’s letter lists the specific coordinate points concerned.

Furthermore, a failure on the part of the Aceh governor to halt the ongoing peat violations by PT Kallista Alam would set a terrible precedent in terms of peat-related law enforcement. In fact, the way in which the process for stopping the peat violations by PT Kallista Alam proceeds will serve as an important lesson learned to be considered in similar future situations.

Evidence obtained by foresthints.news demonstrates that PT Kallista Alam currently supplies CPO, among other companies, to PT Pacific Palmindo Industri and PT Bintang Tenera in North Sumatra province.

Minister Nurbaya explained in her presentation (May 2) revealing the peat violations underway in the Tripa peat swamps that appropriate law enforcement measures would be taken at a certain point if Aceh governor Irwandi Yusuf proves unable to end the peat violations being committed by PT Kallista Alam.